Ice-creeper.



P. T. DUNN.

ICE CREEPEB.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20. 1911.

1,256,300.. 7 Patented Feb. 12,1918.

PATRICK T. DUNN, OF CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.

ICE-CREEPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

Application filed February 20, 1917. Serial No. 149,902.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK T. DUNN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cedar Rapids, in the county of- Linn and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ice-Creepers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ice creepers adapted to be attached to shoes, and reversible to enable the device to be disposed in an inoperative position without detaching it from the shoe.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which may be readily adapted to shoes of various forms and sizes and located beneath the ball of the foot when in operative position, and adapted to be located beneath the instep and in advance of the heel when not in use.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claim; and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention Figure 1 is a perspective view from beneath of a shoe with the device applied and in operative position in full lines and in inoperative in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a plan view from beneath of the improved device attached.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The improved device comprises a stirrup member including a body portion 10 with upturned ends 11-12, the latter being directed at an angle to the longitudinal plane 'of the body 10. The stirrup device is des1gned to extend across the lower portion of the sole 13 of the shoe in advance of the heel 1 1. The upturned ends 11-12 are designed to receive a holding member which may be in the form of a strap 15 including a buckle device, indicated at 16, and thus made adjustable upon the shoe, or the holding member may be in the form of an elastic or yieldable strap, as indicated at 17 The elastic strap will be used more particularly for girls or womens shoes, while the leather will be generally employed upon boys and mens shoes, but it is not desired to limit the invention to any particular means for coupling the stirrup to the shoe.

Pivoted at 18 to the body portion 10 of the stirrup is a plate 19 of sheet metal, preferably steel, and preferably formed semi-circular at one end and with the corners 20 bent downwardly to form spurs. The stirrup member is located a suflicieut distance in advance of the heel 14 so that when the member 19 is rotated upon its pivot 18 the spurred end of the member 19 will be located in relatively close proximity to the foiward end of the heel, and thus be disposed in inoperative position. When the plate 19 is turned with the spurs toward the toe of the shoe, the latter will be located beneath the rear portion of the ball of the foot, and in the best location to receive the downward pressure of the foot when walking, and thus operate eifectually to prevent slipping when walking over slippery surfaces. Projections or stops 21 are pressed upwardly from the body portion of the plate 19 in position to engage the forward edge of the body portion 10 of the stirrup, and thus lock the plate in its operative or inoperative position. The material of the plate will be sufliciently yield-able, so that when suflicient force is applied the stop members 21 will pass beneath the body portion of the stirrup, while at the same time the resistance of the portion 21 will be suflicient to retain the plate in position either forwardly or rearwardly of the stirrup against normal strains.

The improved device may be worn upon the shoe without discomfort to the wearer and may be quickly arranged in its forward position when walking over slippery surfaces such as snow or ice, and as quickly reversed when not required.

The improved device will be found useful to persons who are required to walk over snow, ice or wet slippery ground, or like surfaces.

The improved device is simple in construction, and can be inexpensively manufactured, and in different sizes, as may be required.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- The improved ice creeper herein de- "scribed and shown comprising a stirrup plate" adapted" to extend transversely beneath a shoe, and a sheet pivoted at one end to the under side of the stirrup plate,

the sheet being provided at the edge remote from the stirrup plate with groundengaging spurs and having projections on its upper face to ride across" the stirrup PATRICK T. DUNN. L 5.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. r 

